Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the Arab world and beyond

Spurred by the momentum of last week's deadly flotilla disaster, groups from Lebanon and Iran have announced plans to send at least three more ships to the besieged strip in the coming weeks.

Many worry another violent face-off could have serious repercussions for the region as a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced that the elite military force was prepared to send military escorts to accompany two Red Crescent ships carrying supplies and emergency services personnel to Gaza.

“Enemies should be met head-on through a spontaneous international movement, and we should foil their evil plots,” Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ali Shirazi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Sunday.

“The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy is ready to escort the peace and freedom convoys that carry humanitarian assistance for the defenseless and oppressed people of Gaza with all its strength,” he added.

Few believe Iran would be so reckless as to send Revolutionary Guard boats off the coast of Israel.

But Iran, a major supporter of the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, has been watching as Turkey takes center stage in the fallout from Israel's botched raid on a six-vessel aid flotilla that was attempting to break the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.

"If what the Israelis say is true and the situation in Gaza is good, then they have to let us in," Thaer Ghandour, a spokesman for Reporters Without Bounds, told Babylon & Beyond. "If they don't, that means they are hiding something, and they don't want the world to see."

Without elaborating, Ghandour said the group was "prepared" for the possibility of violence.

Ghandour said, in addition to Arab and international press, the ship would be carrying goods including medical supplies.